The Untamed Heart

He watched Willie climb the steps to the general store and followed after several moments, catching the door by his toe when she pushed it closed behind her. The place was small, crammed from floor to ceiling with wares. Willie was at the counter, reading to a short, mustached man from a list. Sloan lingered beside an aisle of shelves piled high with dry goods. At the end of the aisle, a hard-worked woman stood beside a table stacked with bolts of cloth and skeins of brightly colored ribbon. Sloan watched her knotted fingers fold a length of ruby satin into pleats then drape it over her plain skirt. Her face, worn and rough as the clothes she wore, illuminated with pleasure at the splendor of the material.

Sloan moved to the counter, well aware that Willie’s voice broke off suddenly when he paused behind her. He got a good look at her list an instant before she crushed it in her fist. Over the top of her head he gave the stony-faced merchant a cordial nod then lowered his head and said, “You’ve nothing for yourself on your list, Wilhelmina.”

“You can start with the sacks of flour and sugar, Mr. Lewis,” she said, sending the merchant off toward the back of the store. She turned and nearly ran smack into Sloan’s chest. “Devlin, you’re in my way.”

“So sorry. Hair ribbons are over here.”

She pursed her lips and looked as vexed as she might look with a bothersome fly. When he moved a step back, she slipped past him in a wave of warm lilac. One arm waved in a vague direction. “Why aren’t you off writing somewhere?”

“I’ve nothing to editorialize about just yet.” He followed her down the far aisle. He paused when she paused to scan the shelves. “I’m still observing.”

“Observing?” She reached high on tiptoes, fingers outstretched, backside curving one way, breasts thrusting the other. Sloan stared at her for several moments then quickly retrieved the cans she needed. “Thank you.” She blinked up at him then frowned. “What’s to observe?” Without awaiting his reply, she again brushed past him and disappeared around the corner of another aisle.

He followed, pausing beside the woman who lingered over the bolt of ruby satin. He offered a brief smile. At once a veil of suspicion shadowed the woman’s features and Sloan could see every trial she’d borne over the years mirrored in her eyes.

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